Article holder



April 9, 1940. R, LYQNS 2,196,833

I ARTICLE HOLDER Filed Aug. 26, 19s? I JZ/law Ma, 41g' .Gnou/uf Y 20 being Patented Apr. 9, 1940 UNITI-:o ,STATE ARTICLE nonnina Robert i L. Lyons,

American Button Waltham,

Sewing Machine Co.,

Mass., assigner to Wal- tham, Mass., a -corporation of `Massachusetts Application August 26, 1937, Serial No. 161,030.

@Claims v(c1. i12-@114) When articles such as buttons, or the like, are being attached to work, as, -forexample, lby stitching, it has been usual to provide a holder for the article to present it in `position adjacent to the work while the fastening means for attaching it to the work is being placed. In some cases, however, the work may have projecting portions with which the article holder or a portionof the article itself may contactv in suchA a manner that with holders asheretofore constructed the article has been held out of proper position for its attachment. For example, in the case of the sewing oi' buttons to garments, it may be desired to position `the buttons so near to a 5 seam or other thickened portion. ofthe garment that with the usual holders this thickened portion would prevent the button from being brought against the work, the button iorthe holder contacting with the thickened portion and held thereby out of its proper position.

The present invention has for 4an object to` produce an article holder which may' conform sufficiently to the surface of the work with which it, or a portion of the article vcarried thereby may 5 contact, so that the article maybe heldin proper attaching position regardless of irregularities in. the surface of the work due to varying work thickness or other cause. While in its broader aspects not limited thereto, this invention will be further described and exempliedin' connectionwith the securing of buttons toworkbyla button sewing machine, such an exemplification being shown -in the accompanying drawing in whichi Figure l is a fragmentary side elevation of a= button sewingmachine provided with a button clamp embodying this invention. n Figures 2 and 3 are detail sections-tol a larger scale on lines 2-2 and 3 3, respectively, of

Figure 4 is a detail section on line 4-4 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a perspective viewv of an equalizing element.

Referring to the drawing, at I is indicated the work table of a sewing machine having the usual sewing arm 2 upstanding from one end thereof I and provided with a sewing head 3 positioned above the work table. This sewing head 3, as shown, supports a needle bai` 4 of any suitable description, which may carry one or more needles such as 5. The article to be sewed, shown in Figures 2 and 3 as a button 6, is carried by a button clamp which presents the button in proper u relation to the path of the needle 5v so as to sew bers Iii-'a .limited freeup arms vI5 are connected for `simultaneous moveoi the support Il.` For `a slide 22 (see Figure ing thereinto from the arms the button-to goods V'such as 1 which aresupported on the Work plate. As shown the' button clamp 4includes a support 8` suitably mounted on the' machine, the usual mounting permitting' theA button clamp, to be raised. or vlowered withtre.-` '5 spect to work on the work table I. Asshown the supporti 8 is carried on the forward Aend of "a lever 9 Afulcrumed at I0, .suitable means such 'as' a 'chain' lIII secured to the forward portion of the support 8 in any suitable manner, being employed 10 to lift the clamp fromthe work table.. The support 8 has loosely pivoted to its under' face a'pair of side arms I5 carrying at their forword endsthe button clamping jaws lII `which may engage the button Ii on opposite sides. As 16 usual a thirdrear central-jaw Iljrnay'be` employed ifdesired, the vjaws I6' and I'I'together supporting the button; f

The jaw-carrying arms I5, as shown bestfin 1 Figure 4, are perforated'as at .".Il at their'rear' 20 ends for loose engagement on pivots 2| at oppor site sides of `a median plane of the support 8.- This mounting of the arms I5 permits themitoswing towardl and from each other about the axis of Atheir respective pivot screws 2| and; also. permits their free ends carrying the jawmlem#l and downmotionl. The

ment from and toward the medianvertical plane this purpose there isi shown 30 2) provided with oppositely inclined slots 23 in which ride pins 24'project-v I5.v The slider 22` is suitably supportedfor forward and back mo'- tion` on the lower faceof the support 8 and'its 35 forward motion, which is that tending to close the jaws' I6 toward each other, may be limited as'by an adjustable stop hook 25 secured as by a screw and slot connection' atZB to the topface of' thesupport..v The forward end of this stop 40 hook25 is arranged to be engaged bythe head 2l` of a stop screw 28 of the slide riding in the slot 29 of the support 8. The position of this stop hook determines the extent to which the jaws I6 may approach each other, they being yieldingly 45 urged to this position as by means of a spring 30 v(see Figures 1 and 2), the ends of which',` engage in notches in the sides of the arms I5 and the intermediate portion of which is formed as a loop which extends rearwardly of the arms I5. 50

Substantially in the central vertical plane relative to which the jaws may swing, there is pivo'ted, as on the screw 35, an equalizing lever 36, so positionedthat suitableportions of the arms I5 or parts carried thereby,'herein shown as-the i contacted with a seam, come beneath one of the jaws I 6, while beneath the other jaw is asingle thickness of the Work. This lever 36 thus acts as an equalizer to insure Contact of both .of the jaws I Ii with the in position to besewed thereon, tilted position, as shown in Figure 3. Without this cqualizing action the descent of the support 8-would be stopped when either of the jaws rst the work, which in thecase of work of unequal lthickness would thus hold the brutton out of contact with the work so that it l lcentto a seam or otherthickened portion of the f' in Figure 3 the thickened portion of goods which, with clamps as heretofore conthe work is shown as engaged by one of the jaws I6, the left hand jaw being so shown, it will be evident that a similar result would be produced should the since two of the jaws are permitted it, all three jaws coact to support the button or other article in proper position to the work regardless of thickness variations therein.

Fromthe foregoing description Voi an embodiment of this invention, it should be-evident to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made without departing members mounted on and toward each other, connections between said from the spirit or scope of this invention as dened by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In combination with a work table, of a support movable from and toward said table, a pair of arms pivoted to said support to move laterally toward and from each other and loosely to permit limited up and down motion of the free ends nesses of work beneath said jaws.

2. In combination, a support, a pair of jaw said support to move from members and support to cause such movement of said members to be equal and opposite with respect to a median plane, the mounting of said jaw members including means allowing limited independent motions of said members substantially parallel to said plane, and a lever fulcrumed substantially in said plane `transverse to the direction of said limited motion and operatively connected to said members at certain times to motion of the other k3. In combination, a support, a pair of arms loosely pivoted on said support to swing toward and from each other and to a limited extent to move from and toward said support,

4. A button clamp comprising a support, a pair side faces of said support with capability of limited up and down motion, but- ROBERT L.. LYONS. 

